Solar Cycle
by mutemelodyx
Summary: From a poster in a court. The story about how Hinata meets the Small Giant and reminds his idol of a freedom that can only be found playing volleyball. Even if it takes our favorite decoy a while to realize that the old Karasuno ace he's talking to is the Small Giant himself. Fluff, headcanons, musings, and obliviousness told in three one-shots combined into one story.
1. A Sun's Inspiration

**Note: As the summary says, this was originally three separate one-shots that were in a series format on Ao3. I'm moving them here as one story just for organization purposes. So if you notice any disconnect between chapters, that's why.**

 **CH 1: The Little Giant's internal musings and memories.**

* * *

It was the poster that caught his eye.

He had been visiting his grandparents while on break, and had found an old bike while helping them clean out their garage. It was in decent condition, so when he found himself longing and filled with so much nostalgia that he had to look around town once more, he took it on a ride.

He had stopped when he saw the poster, the orange and red colors on it making it particularly eye-catching.

It was definitely made to do that, he surmised, and it succeeded in its task. The lighting, the writing, the quality of the picture - it had to be made by someone professional or at least edited by one.

He had to brush his messy black hair back to look at it properly. He needed to cut it, he knew.

" _Karasuno High School Volleyball Club"._

He could remember it well. Karasuno. That school, those uniforms, the _gym._

The smell of sweat and anticipation. The sounds of heavy breathing and shoes squeaking.

The voices of him and his teammates they praised good moves and the coach yelled at the bad ones.

The feel of the ball - the cherished contact that would last for less than a heartbeat, yet meant everything.

The feeling of jumping higher and higher until you were finally flying.

Coach Ukai. His team. His friends.

No, his _family._

" _The Crows Head Back Into the National Skies"._

He had continued volleyball in college, of course. He found it remarkably different, and he still wasn't sure if he liked it. The stakes in college were even higher, as those who were graduating were either going professional or not, and that was the end of story.

He had always assumed he would be going professional, longing to feel the atmosphere of the court eternally, but recently he found himself more and more interested in medicine, and now it seemed that his future wasn't so assured.

It was soothing, in a way.

 _Crows are adaptable,_ he could recall his captain telling them, having been faced with a unique style by a particularly powerful team. _We've adapted to genius spikers, unfairly tall blocks, and more. We'll adapt to this too, as long as we keep moving._

That was his second year. The year _he_ had adapted, and subsequently blossomed.

He hadn't talked to that captain in years. Maybe they should reconnect.

" _The Little Giant Returns"._

He had been called that once. _The Little Giant._ It had been quite a few years ago since he had been last called that, but the exhilaration that came with the title never left him.

It hadn't been completely pure. The name came with the stress of being the ace. Of being the one everyone relied on. It came with the idea that _you'll have to get past their blocks no matter how good they are because you need to support your team. Support them so they can support you._

The realization that he couldn't lose hope in a game, because _he_ had to work with the captain to ensure that they all were looking up and in the present, not being dragged by the failures of the past or the worries of the future.

The exhaustion of always staying late for more practice, because _I have to be able to jump higher and move faster. I'm shorter so I have to compensate._

And the understanding that _you don't have to worry because the setter will help you overcome that block. The libero has your back. The other spikers will be decoys for you when it's your turn to hit._

 _You have your team not only behind you but also next to you. The only direction you have to focus on his forwards._

He looked at the poster once more.

 _The uniforms haven't changed._ He offhandedly recognized.

How tall was that spiker?

160 cm? More? Less?

He was definitely shorter than his 170 cm high school form, yet the boy seemed to be soaring incredibly high. His face held an almost childlike joy - one that he also knew well. He knew that just out of frame there must be a ball tossed by a setter. A ball tossed for _him and him only, just for you to hit perfectly onto the other side, because the blocks have disappeared._

He imagined the boy hitting the ball with a sizable amount of power, causing it to hit the ground on the other side with a pleasing and loud _thud._ The boy then would land, setting down gently and neatly on the ground, having flown over there.

Just the thought of it made excitement tingle under his skin like electricity.

The boy was also wearing his number, and he wondered if that had been intentional, a coincidence, or perhaps the hands of fate.

The boy was small enough that he _had_ to be a first year, which struck an even more powerful chord in the twenty-one-year-old.

He was this short, this _young,_ yet he had already found his wings? When?

Had he always had them? Or had he just found them recently?

What caused him to look for them? Look for a way to jump, a way to _fly._

 _What inspired you to stand on that court that I once stood on?_

He smiled.

 _May you never stop moving. Never stop evolving._

He sighed, before removing his foot from the ground and placing it back on the pedal of his bike.

 _May you overcome their high blocks. Their smart blocks._

He began to pedal, watching as the sun began to set.

 _May you continue to soar, higher and higher than before._

The sunset here was beautiful, he noticed. The sun seemed brighter, more defiant. Like it refused to go down without a fight.

He thought of that orange-haired boy once more and recognized the streaks the sun made were a similar color to his hair.

 _And may you continue to be an inspiration for those around you._

Later that week, the Karasuno High School Volleyball Club received a sizable donation from an anonymous source.

 _For you truly are worthy of the title of the Little Giant._


	2. High Noon

**Hinata meets his idol, the little giant, except he's not what he expected him to be.**

 **Or,**

 **The Little Giant is a freakin' nerd like the rest of these volleyball dorks.**

 **[I named the little giant Takahashi Hiroaki. Takahashi (** **高橋** **) means 'tall bridge' and Hiroaki (** **広朗** **) means 'widespread brightness'. Also, I like the works of the 20th-century Japanese woodblock artist by the same name. Thanks, art class.]**

* * *

Hinata Shōyō was, to simply say it, ecstatic.

He was walking on the sidewalks of a town near his home. It was a fairly cool day, with the bright sun being opposed by several pure white clouds. It was just the right weather for Hinata to wear his volleyball jacket, which he wore every single time he could. Natsu once teased him that he'd marry it if he could, causing Shōyō to protest in a way that made their mother come in and tell them both to be quiet and go to sleep.

Hinata was nearly buzzing with excitement. They were going to _nationals._ They were going to get to play more and more sets and more and more games.

He was going to get to _fly_ more.

He was texting Kenma, who was supposed sending him the dates of future matches. He briefly wondered if he'd be able to see them in person. Probably not, he surmised, since Tokyo was rather far and he had his own practices to attend.

They had taken the day off from practice for various reasons. One was that they were all exhausted from the match still. Every step made Hinata's legs burn with soreness, and, despite his tiredness, he hadn't been able to sleep that well due to sheer excitement.

Another reason was that Suga had been planning on attending a tour at a local university, and Daichi and Asahi decided to go with him. He could recall Daichi's announcement that he was also going, and how Suga and Daichi had, to the very definition of the word, peer-pressured Asahi to agree to come with as well.

He loved his senpai.

Also, Tsukishima was still technically injured. Despite him seeing a doctor and getting his pinky properly checked out, Suga and Daichi insisted he take a day or two of resting it so that it would be sure to heal fully.

Add in the fact that there were exams for the second-years coming up, and it was determined that it would be better overall to take the day off.

Normally Hinata would have continued to practice himself, but his mother had instantly taken advantage of the fact he would be home after school and had him run errands for her. He had groaned, but agreed.

So now he was walking through town, proud to wear the Karasuno jacket despite the fact he was in a completely different prefecture. Well, he wasn't exactly _walking_ to be honest, but he was walking a fairly thin line between _walking_ and _skipping._ It wasn't his fault - he tended to skip or even jump when he was too excited. Now, with a constant excitement and contentedness bouncing inside him, he couldn't fully hold it back.

(Nor did he wish to.)

His phone eventually buzzed, and he stopped in his journey to see that Kenma had replied with the dates of a various amount of matches. He lit up, once again exhilarated that the infamous 'Battle at the Garbage Dump' might _actually_ happen in an official game.

"Excuse me?" A voice behind him asked.

He looked up to see an older boy there. He had black hair that was slightly less crazy than his, and black eyes that seemed to carry a trace of humor in them. He was around twenty, and just about ten or so centimeters taller than Hinata.

And he was slightly familiar.

The older boy looked him over curiously, "Are you…Karasuno's #10?"

"Yeah!" Hinata chirped enthusiastically, because _oh my God someone from out of Miyagi recognized me! Does that mean I'm famous? I bet Kageyama-kun hasn't had this happen to him yet._

The boy smiled, holding out his hand in greeting, "I'm Takahashi Hiroaki - Taka, for short. I saw your poster when I was visiting relatives in Miyagi."

 _Yachi's poster!_ Hinata was now bubbling with joy more than ever, and he shook Takahashi's hand enthusiastically. "I'm Hinata Shōyō! My friend Yachi-san made the poster. She's like me - a first-year. Her mom's a designer." He explained, happy to give his friend credit.

Takahashi's eyes widened, "A first-year made that?" He said, surprise in his voice, "I could have sworn it was someone professional. Tell her it was really well done."

Hinata nodded, and Takahashi continued, "I used to play volleyball at Karasuno a while back. You guys made it to Nationals, right?" At Hinata's enthusiastic nod he smiled, "I wanted to catch the match against Shiratorizawa on TV, but I missed it."

"It was really close," Hinata said, "But we did it!" The energetic boy then caught a peek of a notebook with ink on it peeking out of Takahashi's bag, and looked at it curiously. "Do you draw, Taka-san?"

Takahashi looked down at the notebook, smiled softly and withdrew it. "It's a project for my art class," He said, showing Hinata a sketch of a mountain, "I'm going into sports medicine, but I want to do art on the side."

"Woahhh. That's crazy good, Taka-san! And you want to go into sports medicine? That's so cool! What position did you play at Karasuno?" Hinata said, words streaming out of him quickly.

Takahashi easily kept up, remembering a time when he wasn't so different. "I was a wing spiker," He told the boy. "I was kind of like you - smaller than the others, but I could still jump and pass their blocks."

Hinata's eyes widened as suddenly his mind was filled of memories from the other side. "It's an amazing feeling," He breathed.

Takahashi nodded, "There's no other feeling like it." Hinata could see a nostalgic feeling in his eyes, before his new friend apparently pushed the memories away. "What position do you play, Hinata-kun?"

"I'm a middle blocker!" He chirped, before adding, "But I still wanna be the ace someday!"

Takahashi laughed at his words, but not in a patronizing manner. "Don't let them say you can't. Y'know, I managed to become the ace at Karasuno too. It was harder with a height disadvantage but…" A knowing look crossed his features, "We're crows - we can find a way to fly."

Hinata looked at the boy with utter admiration. He really, really liked Takahashi. He was nice, good at drawing, and good at volleyball! Not just that, but he had been able to be the _ace,_ despite being only a bit taller than Hinata.

Determination only filled him more now, and Hinata was grateful that his mom made him run errands in lieu of practice.

 _Errands!_

He had to be home soon, he realized, or his mom would worry. "I forgot!" He suddenly exclaimed, making the older spiker look at him with confusion, "I'm supposed to be running errands for my mom, 'cause practice was canceled. It was nice meeting you though, Taka-san!"

Takahashi smiled kindly, "It was nice meeting you too, Hinata-kun." He hesitated before opened the notebook in his hands and carefully ripping out part of an unused page. Hinata watched curiously as he scrawled something down on it with a pen he produced from his bag, before handing it to him, "My phone number," He explained, "In case you hit a wall or something and you need someone to talk to. I hit a wall my first year, and having someone else who had already gone through it all would have helped a lot. I did have my coach and senpai though, but still."

Hinata took it gratefully, "Thanks Taka-san! Hopefully I'll see you again!" He called out, as he began to move.

Takahashi waved back, and Hinata turned as he continued on his way to the store. He stared at the number in his hands.

Now he was _definitely_ buzzing with excitement.


	3. A Sunlit Discovery

**Hinata realizes Takahashi Hiroaki is the Small Giant. With some help, of course.**

 **I named Takahashi's former captain Ishikawa Yasu (** **石川 安** **) with Ishikawa meaning 'river stone' and Yasu meaning 'peace' and his former libero Akiyama Haruki (** **秋山 晴** **輝** **) with Akiyama meaning 'autumn mountain' and Haruki meaning 'clear, bright weather'.**

* * *

Takahashi Hiroaki never intended to become friends with Karasuno's #10. It wasn't that he regretted it happening, it was just not anything he really thought about since it had never been a possibility. He knew he wasn't the easiest to get along with - he could be obsessive, and had the tendency to overwork and push away friends because of it.

But Hinata Shōyō was like a force of nature. He was the sun, and if you get close enough then you would get caught in his orbit. Taka was destined to be friends with him the moment they met on the street.

 _Buzz._ Another text.

Giving his phone number to the orange-haired boy was just the final nail in his coffin.

He had long since determined it impossible to truly hate the boy, on the basis that if it was, he would have gotten annoyed with his constant texting long ago. But any annoyance Takahashi ever felt would disappear as he saw the high school student's overenthusiastic words on the latest text he sent the former ace.

He put down his paintbrush, partially thankful for the interruption because he was mentally exhausted with his work. He loved art, but after three hours straight it grew rather tiring. He was on his fifth attempt, because he couldn't get it just right, and one wrong stroke with the brush was permanent.

 _From: Hinata Shōyō_

 _Nekoma won one of their qualifier matches today!_

 _Did you guys ever win against Nekoma? We haven't yet…_

 _Yet!_

He looked at the phone, slightly surprised. So the new coach was able to rekindle their old ties with the Tokyo School? He was glad, since their rivalry had been a rare kind, and that meant Ukai's wish of facing (and beating) the school in an official game might be able to proceed as planned.

 _From: Takahashi Hiroaki_

 _Yeah, quite a few times. I think I played in the height of our rivalry against them._

 _We won twice, but we're overall tied with them with two wins, two losses, and one tie._

 _All of those in practice games, of course. We never got to play them in a real game._

Instant reply.

 _From: Hinata Shōyō_

 _Woah! You guys really beat them? That's soo cool!_

 _Their setter is really really cool, and they have this guy who is nearly two meters tall!_

 _He's half Russian._

 _Oh! And their captain is really good. He also has this sticky-up hair. He's kinda scary, but Kenma says he's not really that scary_

 _Kenma's their setter._

"He likes the word 'really' a lot," Takahashi muttered under his breath amusedly, finding a small smile on his own face due to Hinata's pure enthusiasm and passion. The first year's attitude was completely infectious.

A thought struck him, and he sent a message to his former captain, whom he had actually caught up with after seeing Hinata's poster.

 _From: Takahashi Hiroaki_

 _Hey, Yasu-kun, do you know who the current coach of Karasuno is?_

Ishikawa Yasu had been his captain their last year of high school, and had been an excellent one at that. He constantly gave off an immature and trickster vibe that had many skeptical if he was the correct choice, but the decision had chosen to be a perfect one.

He was easygoing when it came with disciplining his team, which was the perfect match with Coach Ukai's strictness. In a match he was deadly serious, and Takahashi knew that no one was a better leader for their team than him.

He would be the most likely to know anything about the current Karasuno's team, as he had been particularly close to their kouhai when they were third years, not to mention went to the community college in the Miyagi district.

 _From: Ishikawa Yasu_

 _Hmmm...I think it's Ukai's son or grandson. I've definitely heard of a 'Coach Ukai' leading them who isn't our coach._

 _For a while they didn't have a coach._

 _Why?_

Ukai's son or grandson?

He grew even more intrigued, pushing aside his art (which had long since been forgotten) so that he could rest his elbows on his desk as he typed.

 _From: Takahashi Hiroaki_

 _I'm curious. I met with their current #10 the day after their last match._

He didn't have to wait long for a reply.

 _From: Ishikawa Yasu_

 _Aw, is the great Takkun getting nostalgic?_

Takahashi rolled his eyes at the old nickname and decided against replying to his old friend. There was nothing more to add to that conversation, he reasoned, and it wasn't just him being petty because Yasu knew him far too well.

No. Absolutely not.

Time passed steadily, as it always did. He had the consistent urge to head back to Miyagi that spurred to life every time he received another text from Hinata, but between school and planning for the future, there was never a chance.

It wasn't until he received a text from the boy asking for him to make a chance that he really got down to it.

They were heading to Nationals, Hinata explained in his usually cheery and roundabout manner, and so the third-years were trying to callback any and all old members they could that were still able to play so they could practice against everyone they could.

Takahashi leaped on the chance. He contacted Yasu quickly and managed to coordinate with his busy former captain and the easily distracted Hinata a time that they could get their old team to Miyagi.

The days leading up to it were horrible. Takahashi had a jittery feeling lurking under his skin and could hardly sit still. He trudged his way through classes and homework, until it was finally, _finally,_ time to take to the court once more.

Because although he had continued in college, it would _never_ be the same as Karasuno.

"Yasu-kun! Haruki-kun!" Takahashi called out, smiling as he saw his old friends. They were easily distinguishable due to the scarce crowd of the train station.

"Ah! Hey Hiroaki-kun!" Haruki grinned as Takahashi made his way over. "Geez, I forgot how short you are!" The boy laughed as he pulled the former ace into a strong hug.

"Hey! It's not like you're much taller." Takahashi growled back when he was released, lacking venom in his voice. He was familiar with this song and dance and fell easily into step.

"Takkun's right - you're both a couple of shrimps," Yasu laughed, "Now come on, the rest of the team is probably already at Miyagi."

Takahashi and Haruki both hit him on opposite shoulders, with Takahashi actively ignoring how much he had to reach up to do so. _If you think I'm short, wait until you see Hinata._ Takahashi thought to himself. He was excited to not only see the boy again but also the whole team. Hinata talked about them with incredible enthusiasm that, even though it wasn't a surprise since Hinata was, well, _Hinata,_ made him that much more eager to see the new Karasuno. It wasn't even deterred by the fact that Takahashi soon learned he talked about _every single team_ that way.

The trip to the school couldn't go by fast enough, but being with Haruki and Yasu helped. They were probably the only reason he didn't start sprinting the second he saw the school. He did increase the pace slightly, which Haruki noticed.

"My, someone's anxious." Haruki teased, hitting Takahashi in the stomach with his elbow, "What's got you so excited?"

"He's excited to see their #10." Yasu interjected knowingly, "They met a while back. Takkun even gave him his _number."_

"What?" Haruki asked, surprised, as they crossed onto school grounds. He looked at Takahashi, who was glaring at Yasu. "But Hiroaki, it took me _two years_ to get your number. I'm wounded." Haruki whined, half draping himself on the former ace.

 _See what you've done?_ Takahashi silently told Yasu, giving his old captain a long-suffering look. Yasu merely laughed unsympathetically as Takahashi had to struggle to half-support his close friend.

Their antics had to draw to an end, however, as they arrived at the third gym. The all too familiar sound of volleyballs slamming against the ground with cries of encouragement sent another pang of nostalgia through Takahashi. He couldn't stop a grin from appearing on his face as he stepped into Karasuno's third gym.

It was a rush.

All too suddenly, he felt like a first year once more. He felt like the young boy who hadn't been able to make the cut for any other sport. He felt like the Takahashi Hiroaki who hadn't found a single thing he was good at, but hadn't given up hope yet.

" _Taka-kun!"_ There was a blur of orange, and suddenly Hinata was there, eagerly welcoming him.

"Hey, Hinata-kun. This is my former captain, Ishikawa Yasu." He gestured to the boy, who politely waved. "And this is our libero, Akiyama Haruki."

Haruki looked at him with wide eyes, "Woah! You're even shorter than Hiroaki-kun!" He then grinned, "It's great to meet you. Someone's gotta take all those tall people down a notch."

Hinata beamed, but he was interrupted by another boy, even shorter than him, coming over. The new boy planted himself right in front of them all firmly, as if he was 200 centimeters tall. "I'm Nishinoya Yū." He declared, pointed at himself with his thumb. "I'm a second-year libero."

 _He's certainly not lacking in confidence._ Takahashi noticed as Haruki immediately took over introductions. It wasn't surprising - he had always been more friendly and open than Takahashi. He could be loud and crazy at times, but he was also the one who made sure that Takahashi took a break from practicing and ate and slept.

Yasu had been correct in that their other teammates were there, and between introductions and catching up, it took a while before the match started.

But when it started, it _started._

Hinata and his setter - Kageyama, he could remember - were quite the duo. They were completely in tune with each other, and Takahashi would be lying if he said he hadn't been blown away at their first weirdly fast quick.

However, Takahashi hadn't lost any speed either.

"Taka-kun!" He heard the setter call out, and Takahashi was already there, spiking the ball straight down in a move that had taken countless days and nights to perfect.

"Nice one Hiroaki-kun!" Haruki smiled at him, hitting on the back. "I see you've still got it."

"Wait…" Takahashi stopped, turning to face the new Coach Ukai. He was incredibly different from his predecessor, but he was obviously a good coach if Karasuno was going to Nationals. Ukai snapped his fingers, looking as if he had had a revelation. He pointed at Takahashi, "I knew you looked familiar. Takahashi Hiroaki - the Small Giant, right?"

There were audible gasps from Karasuno's side, and suddenly Takahashi felt very awkward. Why was Hinata looking at him like that? "Um, yeah." He said, "I haven't been called that in a long time, though."

" _What?!"_ Hinata's eyes were completely wide, and suddenly his expression was utterly clear. He was staring at Takahashi in complete _awe._ "Taka-kun, you're-?!"

"What's up with him?" He heard Yasu ask the Karasuno boy closest to him. _Daichi._ His mind supplied, _their current captain._

"Hinata always talks about how he idolizes the Small Giant," He heard Daichi whisper back, unable to tear his gaze away from Hinata. "He's his hero."

His...hero?

He was somebody's hero?

"Dumbass," Kageyama hit Hinata, obviously not in a mean way, but in an effort to shock the boy out of his stupor. "Stop staring, you're making him uncomfortable."

Hinata yelped at the blow, giving Kageyama a quick glare before quickly looking back at Takahashi, a wide grin on his face. "Taka-kun! You're...you're so cool!" He breathed, "I started playing because I saw you at Nationals and- and you were _flying,_ Taka-kun! I realized I wanted to play volleyball - I wanted to be just like you!"

Takahashi blushed deeply, unsure of how to reply. Thankfully, Haruki saved the day. He bumped into him good-naturedly, startling him out of his shock. "Thank...you...Hinata-kun." He managed to get out. "But really, I don't think you should be like me. I reconnected with my old teammates because of you, and because I saw the poster. You were flying pretty fine on your own."

Hinata was frozen, clearly in complete elation.

"Okay, okay," Takahashi was very thankful that Daichi interjected, and got the game going again. The new Karasuno won, but Takahashi couldn't find it in himself to be disappointed.

Instead, he found himself looking forward to talking to Hinata once more.

He wanted to tell the boy how he couldn't think of anyone more deserving of the title of the Small Giant than him.

He now knew that it hadn't been the poster that caught his eye.

It had been the boy on it.

 _You said I was your hero, Hinata. You said I inspired you to start volleyball._

 _But I think you got it wrong._

He smiled at the sunset as he exited the gym that evening, Haruki on one side, and Yasu on the other.

 _You're wrong, because you're my inspiration._


End file.
